DRC: American journalist and three others missing in Mambasa July 15

Event

Suspected Maï-Maï rebels attacked a group of people traveling through the Okapi Wildlife Reserve near the town of Mambasa (northeast) on Friday, July 14. Initially ten people were missing after the ambush, but local authorities announced that six Congolese rangers were found on Saturday, July 15. According to government officials, an American journalist and at least three other rangers are still missing. It remains unclear if they were abducted or are still in the forest. An operation to find the remaining victims is ongoing.

Context

Kidnapping for ransom is a significant threat in the eastern regions of the DRC. There have been a growing number of attacks against mine workers and NGOs operating in the country, caused by the state’s limited presence in the eastern provinces and the presence of numerous armed groups and local self-defense militias (Maï-Maï militias). The Tanzanian Foreign Ministry confirmed that 21 Tanzanian and three Kenyan truckers driving in a convoy were abducted by Maï-Maï militants in eastern Lulimba, South Kivu province, on June 29. In March, two members of a United Nations Group of Experts - a Swede and a US national - were kidnapped and subsequently killed in Kasai-Central province, which has also seen an uptick in violence.

Advice

Due to these and other security concerns, many Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu (particularly outside the cities of Goma and Bukavu), as well as the northeast portion of Eastern province and the northern part of Katanga due to the presence of armed groups. Certain governments also advise against nonessential travel to the rest of the country.